The Paris Zoo (Parc Zoologique de Paris) celebrated its 80th anniversary with a reopening in June 2014. The six-year closure was necessary to plan renovations. The zoo had never had been renovated or upgraded since 1934.

Now, instead of being cooped in cages according to their type, the one hundred eighty park species, including the insects, birds and reptiles are grouped into five world regions. The visitor winds through the zoo on a voyage to Europe, Patagonia, Sahel-Sudan, Guyane and Madagascar following the “suite du voyage” signs through 16 bio-zone habitats.

The larger animals, rhinoceros and zebra or the ostrich, kudus and giraffes share spaces and know when to mingle and when not to. At 4:30 pm, the park guide told the crowd giraffe anecdotes (in French). He said, that only the male giraffes are separated from the family herd. The males have visual contact but not physical. Since the females are “in heat” every fifteen days, there would be a lot of giraffe neck fights among the males and pain and suffering if they weren’t.